Jakub Kiwior says he did something before leaving Arsenal that he had ‘never’ done before

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Jakub Kiwior left Arsenal and joined Porto on loan in the summer.

The Poland international joined the Gunners from Spezia in January 2023, and even though he was never a regular, he produced some memorable performances.

Kiwior was excellent against Real Madrid in the Champions League for Arsenal, but he knew that he had to move on in the summer.

Jakub Kiwior explains how his Arsenal exit came about

Jakub Kiwior was in a tricky situation at Arsenal.

The Pole played 30 games in all competitions for the Gunners last season, which is a decent number for a backup player. But he knew he was never going to be the first choice.

Kiwior had William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in front of him, and those two players are the best defenders in the world right now.

That convinced the former Spezia man that he had to leave, and he did something he had never done before – he asked his manager to let him go.

When asked if his last conversation with Mikel Arteta was a difficult one, Kiwior told Laczy Nas Pilka: “The latter – no. At that time, we already knew that I would go on loan to Porto. The coach emphasised how big the club was and wished me good luck.

“It was more difficult to talk earlier when I asked for a loan myself. I had never done this before, but I felt it was time to talk to him privately. He understood me and supported me.”

Kiwior also explained how his life has changed since moving to the Estadio do Dragao.

He said: “When it comes to Arsenal and Porto, the league may look like a step back, but club-wise, absolutely not.

“In Porto, I have what I missed in London, which is a regular game. I feel great here.”

How has Jakub Kiwior performed at Porto after leaving Arsenal?

Arsenal fans knew that Kiwior was going to be a success irrespective of which club he joined in the summer, and that is proving to be the case.

The versatile defender has had a tremendous start to life at Porto.

In 10 games in all competitions so far, Kiwior has helped keep seven clean sheets, has conceded just four goals and has only lost one game.

He has formed a terrific partnership at the back with his compatriot Jan Bednarek, and the two players have taken Porto to the top of the Portuguese league table.